you are miles away but i still feel you
It is as though the ear of Beqanna had heard his unconscious thought. Hestoni has never questioned the whimsy of the world he lives in, especially after spending the majority of his life among the ghost-smoke and rain of the Jungle. When a body appears in front of him with the crunching sound of four feet touching snow, the titan is surprised but not shell-shocked. One red eyebrow raises from above his brown eyes at the sudden appearance.
For a moment, he thinks the man is a stranger. In many ways, Brennen is a stranger to Hestoni. The chestnut had never actively participated in the political affairs of the Amazonians, choosing to parent the children while Scorch spent her time with her queenly responsibilities. He’s seen this bay face from a distance in past decades, on border patrols and at select meetings. Hestoni can almost hear Scorch’s smoky voice whispering in his ear, the songs of the Jungle a background to her words. “That was Brennen today,” she had told him once, keeping her voice quiet as the children settled down for the night.
Yet they are two strangers who have something in common. The fire had drawn both of them in. Had Brennen been burnt just as Hestoni had? Or was he still spending his evenings in the embrace of a particular charred woman? The titan has no idea of Scorch’s whereabouts today, spending his time of emotional and mental rebirth in the quiet crevices of Beqanna.
Regardless, Hestoni doesn’t feel a stirring of anger toward the bay stallion, which might’ve been suspected in any other situation. He does not blame Brennen for what happened while he slept under a spell. Hestoni had never known a line between Brennen and Scorch’s friendship even existed, but he knows that his ignorance is not because of the man standing in front of him. His ex-wife is the one who has been dishonest all these years, hiding the truth from him as though she might also hide the truth from herself.
His deep chest swells with a slow inhale. He releases the lungful of air in a cloud of winter-dragon’s smoke mixed with his low, earthy voice. “Hello, Brennen.” Whether Beqanna brought Scorch’s lover to him or it had been Brennen’s own choosing, Hestoni eyes him over carefully. If the bay still spent nights with Scorch, would he attack Hestoni? The chestnut’s muscles flex briefly at the thought, but he relaxes at the relatively non-threatening language of Brennen. “I don’t think we’ve ever officially met. I’m Hestoni.” Just Hestoni. Not Hestoni, husband of the Jungle’s Khaleesi, Scorch. Just Hestoni. For a flickering millisecond, a hesitant smile creeps into the corner of his red mouth before disappearing.
hestoni
@[Brennen]